Signal-valve-controlling mechanism.



W. V. TURNER & D. M. LEWIS.

SIGNAL VALVE CONTROLLING MEGHANI$M. APPLICATION EILEIJ DEC. 29, 1902.RENEWED MAR. 24, 1905.

Patented Jan. 12. 1909.

INVENTOHS 7K 1/. J '2.

3) WWW WITNESSES 1. 3%

ATTORNEYS,

1w: NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

WALTER V. TURNER, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS, AND DAVID M. LEWIS, OF RATON,TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO, ASSIGNORS TO THE WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKECOMPANY, OF PITTS- BURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SIGNAL-VALVE -CONTROLLING ME CHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application filed December 29, 1902, Serial No. 136,983. Renewed. March2%, 1905. Serial No. 251,848.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VVALTEP. V. TURNER and DAVID M. LEWIS, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Topeka, Shawnee 5 county, State ofKansas, and Raton, Colfax county, Territory of New Mexico, respectively,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSignal-Valve-Gontrolling Mechanism, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to signal controlling valve mechanism, and moreespecially to such valve mechanism adapted for use in railway trainswhere a signal train line is supplied with a fluid, such as air, underpressure, and reduced at any point or points in said signal line by theoperation of suitably located discharge valves, whereby the pressure isreduced in said signal train line, which reduction of pressure throughdevices intervening between the signal train line and the signalingdevice or whistle causes the latter to sound.

Our objects are to provide a valve mechanism of this character whichwill be the least likely to get out of order, and which will obviateentirely the tendency of the signal valve to repeat or dance, and onewhose effective operation will not be interfered with by the usual leaksfrom any part of the signal system and, at the same time, will besusceptible of being quickly recharged, and, finally, to provide such avalve mechanism as will accomplish these desirable objects in the mostefficient and economical manner and will embody the simplest arrangementof parts in the most durable form, capable also of ready application toexisting structures wherein the signal train line is connected with someapproved type of air brake system, such, for example, as theWVestinghouse automatic air brake.

WVith these objects in view, our invention 45 broadly consideredconsists in a valve interposed between a source of fluid pressuresupply, such as the main reservoir of a fluid pressure railway brakesystem, normally closed by the pressure in a signal line deriving itsfluid pressure from said supply, and opened by a reduction of pressurein said signal line to permit the passage of fluid pressure to thesignaling device or Whistle; and in a controlling valve mechanism forcontrolling the supply of fluid to a signaling device or whistle whoseoperations of opening and closing are dependent upon and controlled bydiflerential reductions of pressure in the signal line and through thesignaling device with respect to the reservoir pressure.

Our invention further consists in a valve exposed to pressure .on oneside to a fluid pressure supply and on the other side to pressure in asignal line deriving its pressure from the fluid pressure supply, withmeans for permitting a restricted flow of fluid pressure from one to theother, and normally closing the supply of pressure from the source offluid pressure supply to the whistle or signaling device.

Our invention further consists in the novel construction and detailsthereof, as hereinafter described, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1, is a top plan view of a structure embodyingour invention; and Fig. 2, is a central longitudinal section thereof, onthe line 22, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, where the same reference characters relate tothe same parts in both views, we have shown a convenient and effectiveform of our invention as embodied in a compact valve structure, in whichA is the valve body or casing closed by a chambered screw cap B, in oneside of which valve casing is tapped a pipe or conduit C leading from asource of fluid pressure supply, preferably from the main reservoir ofan air brake system having the customary reducing valve for maintaininga fixed working pressure in the train line, irrespective of thereservoir pressure. This conduit or pipe opens preferably through arestricted passage 0 into a chamber N below an abutment or piston Iwhich is carried by a stem L, said piston loosely fitting the valvecasing A, and attached to it, or forming a part thereof, is a disk valveF, the beveled face G of which is adapted to close against acorrespondingly beveled valve seat I-I formed on the fixed structure, inthe present instance, on the interior of the cap B. The valve G isnormally unseated, as shown in Fig. 2, so that any pressure supplied tothe chamber N will gradually leak past the loose fitting abutment orpiston I into the chamber 0 of the cap, and thence through the pipe orconduit E tapped therein and connected to the signal line, therebymaintaining normally the same pressure on both sides of the pistonvalve. Carried by the stem L is a valve K which normally closes apassage d in the wall of the chamber N leading to a pipe D connected tothe signaling device or whistle, and to insure the seating of the saidsignal controlling valve when pressures are the same on both sides ofthe piston I, a helical spring M is confined between the said piston andthe fixed structure, such spring being shown as having one end seatedagainst the upper face of the valve F, and surounding a guiding bossthereon, with the other end similarly seated against the cap B andaround an inwardly projecting nipple to which the pipe E is attached. Aweight may, of course, replace this spring M when the structure is usedin a vertical position, or in such position where gravity may act in anequivalent manner to said spring.

In order to keep the valves on the stem L properly centered and toinsure easy movement without binding when in operation, We preferablyprovide the stem with suit able wing guides J, three in the presentinstance, the outer ends of which bear against the inner surface of thevalve casing A, and preferably these guides should be located near thesignaling supply controlling valve K, for obvious reasons, to effect thedesired object.

While we have described the elements of our invention as assembled in asingle valve casing, it is to be understood that the essence of ourinvention does not require such specific correlation of the parts,although, manifestly, it is preferable to so locate them.

The operation of the device is as follows: IVith the valve K closing theoutlet from the chamber N to the conduit D leading to the signalingdevice or whistle, it is assumed that air at the pressure fixed by thereducing valve in the connection to the main reservoir, fills thechamber N, and leaking past the loose fitting piston I, such airpressure likewise fills the chamber 0 and thence through the conduit E,filling the signal line at the same pressure, thereby permitting thespring M to hold the valve F. from its seat and keep the valve K closed.7 hen, however, it is desired to sound the whistle, a reduction is madein the signal line, in the usual way, by opening a discharge valvetherein, and as the construction of the piston I is such that the aircannot leak through the restricted passage formed by the loose fit ofsaid iston as rapidly as the air is discharged mm the si nal line, adifference of pressure is immedlately established on opposite sidesof'the piston, and as the higher pressure is on the side exposed to theair pressure in the chamber N, such excess of pressure immediatelycauses the piston I to move and with it the valve K, thereby opening adirect communication between the chamber N and, hence,

the reservoir, and the signaling device or whistle, thus permitting asudden rush of air through said whistle and sharply sounding the same,and, at the same time, the valve F is carried by the piston I to closingposition. As the pressure in the chamber N is now reduced by thedischarge through the fully opened valve K more rapidly than the pres-.

sure is supplied from the reservoir, it becomes lower than the pressurein the signal line. When the spring M exerts its force upon the piston Iand closes the valve K, air

will pass around the piston I and restore the signal line pressure andthe parts will resume their normal positions.

It will thus be seen that the principle of the mode of operation of ourdevice resides in the fact that the parts are so constructed that,first, a greater and quicker reduction of air pressure in the signalline is effected at the opening of a discharge valve than can besupplied past the restricted passage around the piston I, and, second,thatthe reduction past the valve K to the signaling device or whistle'is greater and quicker than can be supplied from the reservoir orsource of supply to the chamber N, that is to say, there is adifferential reduction of pressure in the signal line and in the conduitto the signaling device with respect to the pressure in the chamber Nand with respect to each other; therefore, it is evident that the signalvalve operates according to changes in pressure at the will of theoperator of the discharge valve at any point in the signal line, and itis further obvious that, by the use of our improved signal c'ontrollingvalve, a quick response at the whistle is assured, while leaks,

unless very large, cannot interfere with the may be lengthened orshortened, as desired,

by the operator. 7

We claim as our invention: 1. In a signaling mechanism operated by fluidpressure, a valve for controlling the, flow of fluid to the, signalingdevice or whistle, in combination with a source of fluid pressuresupply, a signal line deriving,

its pressure supply therefrom, a device operatively connected to thevalve and controllin the supply of fluid to the signal hire,

an actuated for opening the signa controlling device by reduction ofpressure inthe signal line, with means for moving said device to closesaid valve dependent upon the greater and quicker reduction of pressurein the passage of fluid to the signaling device than can be suppliedfrom the reservoir, substantially as described.

:2. In a signaling mechanism operated by fluid pressure, the combinationof a valve casing connected to a source of fluid pressure supply, asignal line having a connection with said casing, a movable abutment insaid casing between the connections to the fluid pressure supply and thesignal line, a valve operatively connected to and moving with saidabutment for controlling the flow of fluid to a signaling device orwhistle, a restricted passage between the fluid pressure supply side andthe signal side of said abutment, whereby reduction of pressure in thesignal line will cause said abutment to move and open the valvecontrolling the supply to the signaling device, and means for closingsaid valve dependent upon the more rapid reduction of pressure to thesignaling device than can be supplied from the reservoir, substantiallyas described.

3. In a signaling mechanism operated by fluid pressure, the combinationwith a main reservoir and train pipe of an air brake system, of a valvecasing connected thereto, a piston movable in said casing and having oneside exposed to pressure from the said reservoir, a signal linecommunicating with the casing on the other side of said piston, and avalve connected to the piston and controlling the flow or fluid fromsaid casing to the signaling device, and means for closing the saidvalve when the pressures on the opposite sides of the piston aresubstantially the same, substantially as described.

4. In a signaling mechanism operated by fluid pressure, the combinationof a valve casing, a connection leading therefrom to the main reservoirof an air brake system, a connection between said casing and a signalline, a loosely fitting piston in said casing between said connections,a valve carried thereby for controlling the flow of fluid therefrom to asignaling device, and a spring for moving said piston and closing thevalve when pressures on the opposite sides thereof are substantially thesame, said parts being so constructed that reduction in the signal linewill be greater and quicker than supplied from the reservoir around thepiston and similarly proportioned in the signaling device with respectto the supply from the reservoir, substantially as described.

5. In a fluid pressure signal mechanism, the combination with a signalpipe line, and source of fluid pressure supply for charging said signalline, of a valve device comprising a chamber having a restricted inletport from said source of supply and a larger outlet signal port, amovable abutment subject to the opposing pressures of said chamber andthe signal pipe line, and means operated by said abutment forcontrolling said signal ort.

p 6. In a fluid pressure signal mechanism, the combination with a signalpipe line, and source of fluid pressure supply for charging said signalline, of a valve device having a signal port and operated by a reductionin signal pipe line pressure for closing communication from said sourceof supply to the signal pipe line and opening communication from saidsource of supply through said signal port.

7. In a fluid pressure signal mechanism, the combination with a signalpipe line, and source of fluid pressure supply for charging said signalline, of a valve device comprising a chamber having a restricted inletport from said source of supply and a larger outlet signal port, amovable abutment subject to the opposing pressures of said chamber andthe signal pipe line, and valve means actuated by said abutment under areduction in signal line pressure to close communication from the sourceof supply to the signal line and open said outlet signal port.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER V. TURNER. DAVID M. LEWIS. W'itnesses:

HUGO SCHAEFER, MATTHEW WHITEFLEET.

